Patent Application
20080087059
The above and other objects, features and other advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
Reference will now be made in greater detail to an apparatus for locking the roof rack and the cross bar of a roof carrier according to exemplary embodiments of the invention, an example of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numerals will be used throughout the drawings and the description to refer to the same or like parts.
As illustrated in
First, as for the structure of coupling the roof racks and the cross bar, the roof racks 10, which are fixed on opposite upper sides of the vehicle, are formed with the fixing holes 12, into which the fixing members 30 are inserted, so that the cross bars 20 can be moved forward and backward, and can then be fixed.
Further, the cross bar 20 is preferably coupled with rotary rollers 22 at opposite ends thereof so as to be smoothly moved.
Hereinafter, the components for locking the roof racks and the cross bars will be described.
The connecting means 40 comprises a central link 42, an elastic member 44, opposite ends of which are fixed to the central link 42 and the interior of each cross bar 20 respectively, and a pair of supports 46, each of which is fixed to one end of the central link 42 at one end thereof and is hinged to each fixing member 30 at the other end thereof, and one of which moves to causes the other one thereof to move in the opposite direction.
The central link 42 is pivotably coupled to a pin 48 at the center thereof which is formed at the center of the interior of each cross bar 20. The elastic member 44, the opposite ends of which are fixed to the central link 42 and each cross bar 20, respectively, functions to provide an elastic force caused by the pivoting of the central link 42. The elastic member 44 is preferably formed of a spiral spring.
Next, the fixing members 30 and the supports 46 will be described.
Each fixing member 30 is coupled to or uncoupled from any one of the fixing holes 12, which are formed at each roof rack 10 at regular intervals. Thus, the fixing members 30 serve to fix the cross bars 20.
Further, the fixing members 30 are preferably connected to a pair of manipulation buttons 50, which protrude upward from the opposite sides of each cross bar 20 and can horizontally move left and right, so as to be able to be easily manipulated by a user.
Next, the supports 46, each of which is fixed to the central link 42 at one end thereof and is hinged to each fixing member 30 at the other end thereof, function to transmit the movement of one of the fixing members 30 to the other fixing member.
Further, the supports 46 are formed of a steel rod, unlike a wire, used as an existing connector member, and are fixed to the opposite ends of the central link 46 in opposite directions. Thus, the operation of only one of the supports 46 can control the operation of the other support.
In addition, since each cross bar used for the vehicle usually has a curved shape, rather than a linear shape, the supports 46 are preferably hinged with respective fixing members 30, and are installed in the cross bar in a curved form so as to avoid any contact with an inner surface of the cross bar.
The operation of the supports 46 and the central link 42 will be described below.
Here,
When one of the supports, which are fixed to the opposite ends of the central link in the middle of the cross bar, is moved, the other support is pivoted in the opposite direction. Thereby, both of the supports move toward the middle of the cross bar at the same time.
Thus, the fixing members, which are fixed to respective supports, are decoupled from the roof racks at the same time. In this manner, the operation of only one of the fixing members allows the cross bar to be moved.
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
Each roof rack 10 has the fixing holes 12 formed in the inner surface thereof at regular intervals. Each cross bar 20 is preferably coupled with the roof racks 10 so as to be able to move forward and backward. To this end, each cross bar 20 is provided with rotary rollers 22 at one end thereof, which are coupled to a rail 14 formed on the inner surface of each roof rack 10.
The fixing members 30 serve to fix the cross bar 20 to the roof racks 10, are constrained in the interior of the cross bar 20, and are detachably coupled to the fixing holes 12, which are formed in the inner surfaces of the roof racks at regular intervals.
Further, each fixing member 30 is provided with a protrusion 32 on the outer circumference thereof which comes into contact with the locking unit 60.
The connecting means serves to connect the fixing members 30 with each other such that the operation of only one of the fixing members allows the other fixing member to be decoupled from its corresponding roof rack 10.
The locking unit 60 will be described in detail.
The locking unit 60 serves to move the fixing members 30, and is coupled to the cross bar, perpendicular to the moving direction of the fixing members 30, so as to be rotated at a predetermined angle. The locking unit 60 comprises a cylinder 62, which is provided with a key hole 62a in the outer surface thereof, and a connector 62b, which is in contact with the protrusion 32 of one of the fixing members 30.
The cylinder 62 is preferably designed so that a series of locking pins is disposed in a cylindrical shell and is arranged according to a profile of the key when a key is inserted into the key hole 62a, thereby unlocking a lock so that it can be rotated at a predetermined angle. The internal structure of the cylinder 62 is based on an ordinary cylindrical lock, and so a detailed description thereof will be omitted.
However, the connector 62b extends from the outer circumference to the inner end of the cylinder 62, and is in contact with the protrusion 32 of one of the fixing member in a vertical direction.
Thus, a key 3 is inserted into the key hole 62a in the cylinder until it is engaged with the cylinder, and is then turned. Thereby, the cylinder is rotated in engagement with the key. The rotation of the cylinder causes the connector 62b to be rotated, so that the connector 62b comes into contact with the protrusion 32. Thereby, one of the fixing members 30 is moved together with the other fixing member, and thus the fixing members are separated from the fixing holes 12 in the roof racks 10. As a result, the cross bar can be moved.
Further, unlike an existing locking apparatus, once the cylinder 62 is rotated and fixed, without continuing to manipulate the locking apparatus, the fixing members 30 continue to be separated from the fixing holes in the roof racks. Hence, the cross bar can be easily moved when it is moved.
As illustrated in
Here,
When one of the supports 46, which are fixed to the opposite ends of the central link 42 in the middle of the cross bar 20, is moved, the other support is pivoted. Thereby, both of the supports 46 move toward the middle of the cross bar at the same time. Thus, the fixing members 30, which are fixed to respective supports, are decoupled from the roof racks at the same time. In this manner, the operation of only one of the fixing members allows the cross bar to be moved.
As illustrated in
When the cover 16 of each roof rack is removed, the cross bar can be easily separated. For this reason, there is a possibility of the cross bar being stolen. However, according to the present invention, even if the cover 16 of each roof rack 10 is removed, the cross bar cannot be separated from the roof racks, because the cylinder must be rotated using the key in order to move the fixing members, which fix the cross bar to the roof racks.
Thus, theft can be prevented, unlike the existing apparatus for locking roof racks and cross bars of a roof carrier.
As illustrated in
The first elastic members 34 are coupled to the fixing members 30, and thus serve to elastically restore the fixing members 30 to coupling positions of fixing holes 12.
In particular, each of the first elastic members 34 employs a compressive coil spring and is fixed to each fixing member 30 at one end thereof and to the interior of each cross bar 20 at the other end thereof. When the fixing members 30 are separated from the fixing holes, the first elastic members 34 are compressed. Thus, when a load acting on each fixing member 30 is released, each of the first elastic members 34 causes each fixing member 30 to be fixed in the corresponding fixing hole by its elastic force.
Further, each contact 36 protrudes from each fixing member at the interior of each cross bar 20, and is in contact with each manipulation button. Thus, each contact 36 serves to horizontally move each fixing member when each manipulation button is operated. Preferably, each manipulation button 50 is provided with a direction converter 54 at one end thereof. The direction converter 54 has a contact face 56, which is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the direction in which each fixing member 30 moves. Further, the manipulation buttons 50 partially protrude from and are coupled to opposite ends of the cross bar 20.
Here, when one of the manipulation buttons 50 is pushed in the inward direction of the cross bar 20, the direction converter 54 horizontally moves the contact 36 toward the middle of the cross bar 20, thereby separating the fixing members 30 from the fixing holes 12.
Further, each manipulation button 50 is preferably provided with a second elastic member 52, which exerts an elastic force, so as to be automatically restored by the elastic force.
Also, each contact 36 is preferably provided with a counter contact face 38, which is inclined at an angle corresponding to that of the contact face 56 of the direction converter 54 so that it is in contact with the contact face 56, so that it allows the fixing members 30 to be moved smoothly by the movement of each manipulation button 50.
According to the present invention, the locking apparatus further comprises a connecting means 40 for connecting the fixing member 30 at the interior of the cross bar 20.
Here,
When the user pushes one of the manipulation buttons in order to move the cross bar, the contacts protruding from the fixing members move toward the middle of the cross bar, thereby decoupling the fixing members from the fixing holes.
Preferably, in order to completely decouple the fixing members from the fixing holes when one of the manipulation buttons is pushed, the angle that the contact face of each manipulation button and the counter contact face of each contact form with respect to the moving direction of each fixing member is adjusted by calculating the moving distance of each manipulation button and the moving distance of each fixing member.
As illustrated in
When one of the supports, which is fixed to the opposite ends of the central link in the middle of the cross bar, is moved, the other support is pivoted in the opposite direction. Thereby, both of the supports move toward the middle of the cross bar at the same time.
Thus, the fixing members, which are fixed to respective supports, are decoupled from the roof racks at the same time. In this manner, the operation of only one of the fixing members allows the cross bar to be moved.
As illustrated, the apparatus for locking roof racks and cross bars of a roof carrier according to a fourth exemplary embodiment comprises the roof racks 10, the cross bars 20, fixing members 30, first elastic members 34, manipulation buttons 50, wires 80, and fixing pins 70.
The first elastic members 34 are coupled to the fixing members 30, and serve to elastically restore the fixing members 30 to the coupling positions of fixing holes 12. As illustrated in
Further, the manipulation buttons 50 are coupled to opposite ends of each cross bar 20 so as to be able to vertically move the cross bar 20 inward. Thus, when the user pushes one of the manipulation buttons 50 in the inward direction of the cross bar 20, the corresponding wire 80 horizontally moves one of the fixing members 30, thereby separating one of the fixing members 30 from the corresponding fixing hole 12.
Here, each wire 80 functions to transmit the force, which is applied to each manipulation button 50 by the user, to each fixing member 30, has the shape of a steel wire, and is fixed to the inner end of each manipulation button 50 at one end thereof and to each fixing member 30 at the other end thereof. Each wire 80 is preferably formed of polyurethane material, which has high flexibility and tensile strength.
Each fixing pin 70 has the shape of a circular roller, is fixed to the interior of the cross bar 20, and serves to cause each wire 80 to be connected to each manipulation button 50 and each fixing member 30 at a right angle. Each fixing pin 70 is in contact with the middle of each wire 80, and bends each wire 80 at a right angle.
Preferably, the fixing pins 70 are rotatably coupled to the interior of the cross bar, thereby minimizing the friction generated when the wires 80 are moved.
Further, each fixing pin 70 has a continuous groove in the outer circumference thereof, which is recessed in the radial inward direction. Thereby each wire 80 can be moved in close contact with each fixing pin 70.
Preferably, each manipulation button 50 comprises a second elastic member 52, which exerts an elastic force, so that it is automatically restored by the elastic force. The second elastic member 52 is a compressive coil spring, and is fixed to each manipulation button 50 at one end thereof and to the cross bar 20 at the other end thereof. When a user removes the force acting on each manipulation button 50, each manipulation button 50 is elastically restored to its initial position.
As illustrated, both of the fixing members are coupled to the fixing holes in the roof racks by their first elastic members, thereby maintaining the state in which the cross bar is completely fixed to the roof racks.
When the user pushes one of the manipulation buttons in order to move the cross bar, the contacts protruding from the fixing members move toward the middle of the cross bar.
At this time, one of the wires, each of which connects a corresponding manipulation button and fixing member, moves one of the fixing members, thereby decoupling the fixing members from the fixing holes.
Here, in order to convert the direction in which each fixing member is moved using the movement of one of the manipulation button, each wire is connected with a corresponding manipulation button and a corresponding fixing member through a corresponding fixing pin, thus converting the acting force caused by the movement of each manipulation button to a direction parallel to each fixing member.
Further, the fixing members are coupled with respective supports of a connecting means at ends thereof. One of the supports is moved inward, and the other support is also moved inward. Thereby, one of the fixing members is separated from the fixing hole of one of the roof racks, and the other fixing member is separated from the fixing hole of the other roof rack at the same time.
As illustrated in
Thus, the fixing members, which are fixed to respective supports, are separated from the fixing holes in the roof racks at the same time. Consequently, the operation of only one of the fixing members allows the cross bar to be moved.
As is apparent from the above description, the apparatus for locking roof racks and cross bars of a roof carrier employs a simple structure in which the fixing members are coupled to and decoupled from the fixing holes in the roof racks using the connecting means, which is fixed to the interior of the cross bar through various operating means, and includes the central link, the pair of supports connected with the central link, and the elastic member exerting an elastic force, so that it can reduce the cost of production and be easily manufactured.
The operation of only one of the operating means separates both of the fixing members from the fixing holes in the roof racks, and thus allows the cross bar to be moved, so that the apparatus for locking roof racks and cross bars of a roof carrier can be easily operated.
As described above, it will be understood that the present invention is directed to provide an apparatus, for locking the cross bar and roof racks of a roof carrier, which employs a simple structure, as a basic technical idea. Of course, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-2006-0099344 | Oct 2006 | KR | national |
| 10-2006-0128297 | Dec 2006 | KR | national |
| 10-2007-0027201 | Mar 2007 | KR | national |
